This is an
interesting UK early-1970s 'super group' that doesn't seem to have attracted
a great deal of attention during it's brief existence and today is all but
unknown.

Singer
Aliki Ashman had previously worked and recorded with Ginger Baker's Air
Force and The Graham Bond Organization, providing backing vocals for a
number of their late 1960s albums. In 1971 she decided to step out on her
own, hooking up with singer/bassist Harry Reynolds. Expanding the line
up to include former
Heavy Metal Kids drummer Keith Boyce, ex-Picadilly
Line multi-instrumentalist
Rod Edwards, and ex-Fleetwood Mac guitarist Bob Weston the group attracted
the attention of Polydor Records which signed them to a contract.

Recorded
in London's A.I.R. Studios with John Miller producing 1972's "Stop
Off" wasn't
anything like I expected. Backed by singer Madeline Bell, guitarist
Mickey Keen and others, my expectations were to hear something along the
lines of a shrill blues-rock set. Instead tracks like 'Come
Right In', 'Country Man', 'They're
Only Gonna Take My Life'
and 'My Father's Side' came off as a UK version of Delaney and Bonnie. That comparison might sound strange, but it was apt with the group showing a true penchant for the
same mixture of blues, gospel, soul, and rock influences Delaney and Bonnie excelled
at. Ashman and Reynolds shared vocal duties, though Reynolds was in
the spotlight far more often. While he may have had the stronger voice (hard to believe he was
English), Ashman made the most of her isolate solo spots - 'Work Out the
Score' was a nice ballad with a haunting West Coast-styled guitar solo from
Wilson, while the closer showcased her tougher edge, ending with a killer
Wilson solo. Sound weird? Definitely, but in a
good way. Once I got over my surprise I discovered the LP was full of
charm and winning efforts. Hard to select a favorite track, but it
might be the up tempo rocker 'Long Long Road'. Complete with a tasty
Weston guitar solo the song would have made a dandy single. Equally
impressive were the pretty ballad 'I Wish I Knew'
(sporting some dazzling harmony vocals from Ashman and Reynolds), and
''. This is one of those albums that continues to grow on me the
more I play it ...

"Stop
Off" track listing:(side 1)

1.) Come
Right In - 4:42

2.) Country Man -
3:08

3.) Long Long Road
- 3:52

4.) They're Only
Gonna Take My Life - 5:09

5.) Hymn for Him -
6:02

(side
2)
1.) I Wish I Knew - 5:42

2.) Work Out the
Score - 4:03

3.)
Taking Off - 4:30

4.)
My Father's Side - 3:48

5.)
Help Me - 5:02

The
band survived long enough to undertake a supporting tour for the LP,
opening for Fleetwood Mac and Savoy Brown. That apparently did little
for sales and within a couple of months Ashman, Boyce, Edwards, Reynolds,
and Weston were supporting Long John Baldry. Ashman and Reynolds seem
to have continued their partnership through the mid-1970s, though they don't
seem to have recorded anything else.

On
her own Ashman reappeared as a member of the band Casablanca who recorded a
1974 LP for Elton John's Rocket label, only to see it shelved. The
album "The Lost Funk" was finally released in 2003 by the
Second Sight Films Ltd Label.

catalog number SSCD008

She
recorded an obscure 1976 single with Arthur Brown - 'Ooh,
It Takes Two To Tango' b/w 'Rocking the Boat' (Electric
Record Co catalog number WOT7)

There's
also a 1977 solo 45 for the same label - ' A Simple Love Song' b/w 'Got To
Be You' (Electric Record Co catalog number WOT16)

In
case anyone cares, YouTube has a pair of promotional videos for both sides
of the single. Be forewarned the picture quality isn't great.